eclectic wedding

I have a love hate relationship with styled shoots recently. I feel like the wedding blogging scene has become a BIT inundated with them and I also feel like EVERY vendor and their brother is now getting together to do a “styled shoot” that only end up resulting in neither new nor inspiring images. The over-abundance of styled shoots almost instantly kill “trends” before they even really become trends (and we all know how I feel about that word, trend). But enough ranting about styled shoots, since my whole point was to introduce today’s blog post which is … you guessed it … a styled shoot! (oh the irony)

But here’s the catch – this one is actually different! It’s truly unique and the details are exquisite and the theme is concise (but not forced) and the best part is that it actually makes sense. The vendors took a theme and applied it to a styled shoot that could ACTUALLY work for a real wedding! The theme incorporated a song (Dave Matthews Band’s “You & Me” – a fab wedding song) AND the couple’s love story, to create a styled shoot that was yes, styled, but also inspiring and applicable to a real wedding. They also created details that the couple could actually re-use as art in their home after the wedding! What a novel idea!

Last year several [very talented] wedding artists and professionals got together to create. We started with a simple idea, a music festival inspired wedding, and it blossomed beautifully from there. Each artist contributed their own perception of the vision and together we created a dreamy love story with personal symbolism, vintage texture, soft and muted spring colors and layers of all kinds of energy. I think it’s important to collaborate with other artists to engage and develop one’s own creativity. I know I could have never come up with this amazingness on my own. It was a team effort in every sense of the term.

On the musical festival, turned wedding song theme:

So many couples have an emotional connection to music and the bands and songs they share in common with their own love story. This styled shoot is inspired by the Dave Matthews Band album ‘Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King.’ On the album is the song ‘You & Me,’ a romantic song that many couples choose as the first dance at their wedding.

Each decor element was carefully selected, drawing from the illustrative design of the album cover and each vignette communicates meaningful messages. The floral design is simply stunning and the furniture and rentals play a huge part of the story telling as well. Artist Beth Thomas of Commemory Art painted many of the wedding details that are keepsakes for the couple to take home and use in their home decor. I’m a collector, so that’s totally my kinda event design!

I love love love the combos of oranges and blues in this shoot!

Click inside to see SO MUCH MORE from this musical festival styled shoot! Including an ombre wedding cake, a dessert spread in a wheelbarrow, and a ‘behind the scenes’ video from Mission Visual!

“When we started planning our wedding we only had a few requisites. We wanted violins and flannel, to celebrate the autumnal equinox, a ceremony by the river, and really, really good food, music, and beer. The rest would follow.”

Gah! This DIY Virginia wedding from Sara Sultan Photography is making my face hurt from all the smiling it’s causing. This couple ROCKED their wedding with flannel, plaid, suspenders, DIY lanterns & bunting, a taco food truck, and a million other personal touches. And lucky for you I have ALL the awesome details from Kahlil & Natalie themselves.

We invited our guests to wear flannel/plaid and strongly discouraged high heels.

The couple’s friend, an author, wrote this about their wedding day:

“My friend and former research assistant Natalie Stade was married yesterday behind a mill and by a small river in Bridgewater, Virginia and the wedding, held in the glory of the late afternoon as autumn made its official debut, was lovely and wonderfully simple in every way.

A taco truck arrived from Richmond, each guest was given a Mason jar to both drink from and keep, and Natalie and Kahlil rode a bicycle built for two.

Natalie’s younger sister, Laura Stade, who fights fires in Utah, made ten cheesecakes that rivaled any I have ever had, and she is not even from New York:) her older sister, Chrystie, had words to offer, quite reluctant ones, that underscored the wry humor these three sisters possess.”

-Jonathan Coleman, author, Charlottesville, VA

in LOVE with Natalie’s unique wedding dress!

A perfect autumn bouquet.

Pretty much obsessed with Kahlil, the groom’s eclectic attire here: a plaid shirt with a tie with stars?! LOVE.

Click inside for a TON more awesome pictures from their handmade reception and more details from the couple on their DIY, eclectic touches!